G
Going Green with Blue Jeans
oing green is a good benefit to the environment.
Some people may recycle plastic, glass, paper,
and metals, but many never stop to think how
the fiber industry plays a role in our “go green”
society.
The Cotton. From Blue to Green.™ Program
gathers denim blue jeans to recycle and use as fiber
insulation. The process starts by collecting old denim
and then transferring it to the UltraTouch™ denim
company by Bonded Logic Inc. to be produced into
home insulation.
“The program is a non-profitable organization
and the mission is to build demand for unprofitability
of cotton,” Andrea Samber, director of consumer
marketing of Cotton Incorporated said. “Cotton Inc.
does this through research and promotion programs,
which recycle denim.”
The goal of the program is to connect to the world
about the fiber industry and how it is feasible by
recreating it into insulation for homes.
“UltraTouch™ manufactures the insulation and
details,” Samber said. “We don’t make and sell the
denim itself, we just do the research and promotion.”
The program was established by Cotton Inc. in
2006, to collect unwanted denim from around the
world and then teamed up with Bonded Logic Inc.,
in which they convert the denim into UltraTouch™
insulation for housing and construction projects,
which means less fiber products such as textiles in the
garbage dump.
“Individuals, schools, organizations, and
businesses nationwide contribute denim to the
program each year,” Samber said. “In 2013, we’ll
reach one million pieces of denim collected through
the program.”
The main idea for this campaign was for Cotton
Inc. to emphasize the agricultural aspect of cotton
and the fiber industry to raise awareness and
bring opportunities for people to give back to their
community in a different way.
For one home, enough insulation created from
500-1,000 pair of denim blue jeans can translate to
about a 2,300 square foot home with walls estimating
to be around 8 x 12 feet.
According to Andrea Samber, an average of one
ton of waste is about 1,600 pairs of denim jeans. A
single pair of denim jeans equals about one and a
quarter pounds.
The actual process of denim recycling begins with
receiving the denim and going through the process
of removing the zippers, buttons, and other details.
Then it is refurbished back into its regular fiber state,
which is cotton.
The fiber is then processed with a non-toxic
solution to be reformed into a denim insulation
produced by UltraTouch™.
The UltraTouch™ denim insulation is produced
from high quality natural fibers that have inherent
qualities contributing to sound absorption and
ultimate thermal performance, yet the material does
not itch and is not difficult to operate.
The traditional insulation consists mainly of
fiberglass, which has disadvantages from having
moisture build-up within exterior walls causing
mildew and mold. The denim insulation consists of
85 percent recycled fibers from blue jeans and has
a high resistance to mold and mildew containing an
active mold and mildew inhibitor, which most people
would prefer for their health.
Bonded Logic Inc. owns UltraTouch ™ Company,
which is located in Chandler, Ariz. The company
redesigns the denim into insulation and sells the
insulation nationwide through construction material
distributors and lumberyards.
All of the insulation products manufactured from
Bonded Logic Inc. are class-A fire rated, safe for the
environment, and consist of no harmful chemicals.
Recycling denim has its benefits of keeping
unwanted clothing out of the dump, but has a positive
impact in your home and on your health.